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The USC School of Pharmacy announced Monday that it's received its largest grant ever, which aims to improve the medical care of patients in underserved communities.

The $12 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will fund a program to improve the care of patients who take prescriptions for chronic illnesses.

This new effort will place pharmacists alongside doctors in primary care clinics in low-income communities. The program’s focus is on helping patients take their medications correctly by providing them with individualized consultations from pharmacists.

The misuse of prescription drugs, and the resulting hospitalizations and emergency room visits, costs the United States nearly $300 billion annually.

USC’s pilot project starts this summer in three Orange County clinics and will later expand into primary care clinics in Los Angeles County. The grant comes from a $1 billion Obama administration initiative for health care solutions.